Army Of Two
by TheDarknessConsumes
Summary: Full game AU. Lightning and Snow are the only ones turned into L'cie.
1. New Beginnings

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII.

 **Chapter One:**

* * *

Red hot fury flared in her chest as she stepped off of the elevator and onto the platform, the one man she definitely didn't want to see standing there, brazenly mocking her with his mere presence.

"Lightning," Snow Villiers stood before her, surprised as he watched her enter the room. "What are you doing here?"

Lightning seethed silently, stepping forward until she stood mere feet away from him. "You know damn well why I'm here Villiers. Where's Serah?"

"I don't know." He confessed, gaze roaming over the surrounding darkness, jagged engravings seemingly curving across the expanse towards the heavens. "But I know she's in here somewhere."

"Damn it." The soldier cursed, slamming her fist against one of the exposed columns. "Of course you couldn't keep track of her; I don't know why I expected any differently from you. Just-" She cut his response off with a raised hand. "Stay out of the way."

Marching forward, Lightning intentionally ignored him as he spluttered, falling in step beside her and trying to defend himself.

Thankfully he seemed to, for once, catch on quick and fell silent as they walked, eyes on the various entryways they passed walking towards the next elevator.

"What are you going to do when you find her?"

Suppressing a sigh, she glared at him out of the corner of her eye, frowning. Seeing the serious intent on his face she paused, looking up at the ceiling above them. "...I don't know." She admitted.

"Lightning-"

"What do you want me to say?" She snapped, furrowing her brow. "I don't know, alright!?"

A cie'th, lumbering with errant intent, stumbled into view, providing her a suitable distraction and with a yell she dashed forward, drawing her sword and slicing wildly at the creature.

A thick, crystallized arm swung around with great force, missing her by a hair as she slid underneath its blow.

Her retaliatory cut caught it by the hip, seemingly causing no effect save for a thin gash in its skin.

The beast's lumbering counter was interrupted by a sudden shove to its chest, pushing it back just far enough to allow Snow a full punch to its pale, pallid face.

Despite the save Lightning growled, dashing after it as it stumbled and jamming her blade into the red orb in its chest.

As the cie'th fell, strangely crumbling to pieces as though it were made of ash, Lightning rounded on Snow, fury in her eyes. "Just stay out of my way!"

With a final yell she took off upstairs, marching to the elevator. "Lightning!" The blond tried, reaching out towards her and retreating just as quickly when it became apparent that she wouldn't stop. "Damnit!"

Quickly he took off after her, hopping onto the next elevator before it could leave.

As the device moved up he quieted, standing beside the pinkette stoically.

The elevator came to a halt and both he and Lightning froze for a brief moment, eyes firmly locked onto the person lying there. "SERAH!"

With synchronicity the two ran towards the girl, sliding to a halt on either side of her.

"Serah, wake up!" Lightning shook her, gaze locked onto her unconscious sister as she desperately tried to get her to respond.

"L-Lightning?" Serah sounded half-asleep as she opened her eyes, barely moving save to bring a hand up to Lightning's face.

Worried aqua orbs took in every inch of her, scanning her thoroughly for any sign of injury.

"Serah..." The voice irritated her but Lightning kept her attention on her sister, even as she turned in her arms to greet him.

"There's my hero." She smiled vacantly, reaching out for him with dainty hands.

Quickly he took her hand into his own, clenching tightly around her with a steel grip. "I'm here, Serah. Everything's gonna be okay."

Lightning glared at him in disbelief, shooting him a look of disgust before focusing once more on her sister.

"I know," Serah's voice was faint with strain, petering off into a whisper before she even finished speaking; nonetheless she stared up at him in adoration. "You'll save us all, won't you? Protect Cocoon..."

Inhaling sharply, Lightning felt the younger girl's hand fall away, watching as her sister paled and relaxed, slowly rising out of her arms. "Serah!"

Despite her fears and Snow's own cries the petite girl rose out of arms reach, streams of light coalescing around her form.

When the ribbons finally finished their progress, fully wrapping around her body, the two remaining could only stare in sorrow as she sunk to the ground, firmly encased in crystal.

The platform they stood upon was entrenched in silence, both fighters left to wallow in misery as the person most important to them both was forever taken from them.

"Serah..." Snow stepped forward, kneeling as he reached out to gently cup the crystallized girl's cheek. "Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams!?" Lightning spun, stunned as she watched him climb to his feet. "She's not sleeping! Serah's- She's..." With a shove she pushed him away from her sister, gritting her teeth.

Snow stumbled back, quickly rallying as he met her angry stare head-on. "She's alive!"

"No." She bit out, turning back to Serah and shaking. "She's a crystal."

"L'cie who fulfil their focus turn to crystal and gain eternal life! It's the same with Serah!"

"An eternity of this!?" She gestured at the shorter girl, now slumbering in an eternal repose. "You think she would want this?"

"I- I promised that I would be hers forever! No matter how long I have to wait-" He stepped towards her, reaching down to grasp her shoulders.

Another shove and he looked up just in time to receive a fist to the jaw, the force spinning him on his feet.

Kneeling, Snow watched as she straightened, breathing heavily. "Lightning-"

"Shut up!" The words were barely short of a scream, shrill with desperation as she watched him on his knees before her, fists clenched. "Don't you get it? It's over! Shut up and face reality! I'll never- She-"

A sudden surge caught the two off guard, the ground shaking beneath them. "What the-!"

"PSICOM." The words were short and abrupt, bit out with clear venom. Lightning stood to her full height, stubborn as she held her ground against the shuddering vestige.

A stream of debris and dust flowed around them, trailing down the massive structures walls and Snow lumbered forward, tackling Lightning and standing over both her and Serah even as she cursed him.

After several moments the quakes finally came to a halt and Lightning grunted as she pushed him back with her knee. "Never do that again." She warned, gritting her teeth.

"Noted." Coughing, Snow slowly made his way to his feet. "You hit hard, you know that?"

Ignoring his inane commentary, her attention was drawn to the sound of shifting metal. Turning, she witnessed the door to the inner areas of the Fal'cie grind open and, with only the vaguest hint of a plan, she began walking.

Standing and watching her make her way up the stairs towards the entryway, Snow furrowed his brow. "Where are you going?"

Frustrated, Lightning nonetheless answered. "To fix this."

With that last parting remark she stepped through the doorway, gaze roaming over the wide space before her, locking onto the metal shell-like protrusion near the back of the room.

"You..." Words failed her and thought left her, hands gripping tightly around the hilt of her gun blade and without any hesitation she charged, slamming her sword into the weakest looking part of the shell.

Absently she heard footsteps echo behind her, pounding on metal and approaching closer and closer, however she took no notice, instead focusing all of her ire onto the being before her. "Lightning, what are you doing!?"

The soldier continued her ferocious assault, smacking away his hand when he reached out in an attempt to stop her. "This _thing_ took away Serah! It's the entire reason why she's- She's," Her breathe caught in her throat and Lightning dashed away from his, slamming her blade home one final time. "Serah told us we need to save Cocoon; that means this thing needs to die!"

The sound of gears turning filled the air and both she and Snow leapt away, eyes wide as the shell opened with the sound of gears grinding.

The ground to either side of them opened up and thick, spiraling columns appeared, twisting towards the sky and opening into structures foreign to anything either of them had seen before.

In the space that appeared before them intense light shined forth, dousing them in warmth and earning a flinch.

Finally things seemed to come to a crescendo and they both raised their heads from where they had been protected by their arms, taking in the Fal'cie in all of its glory.

The crystalline being, entrenched in technology and energy, lay within the center of the structure that had appeared during its metamorphosis, seemingly glaring them down.

"This is it." Her words rumbled in her throat and Snow paused, staring at her for several seconds before, with a growl, he settled into a fighting stance.

The Fal'cie's crystal glowed menacingly, pulsing above them with latent energy.

Within seconds her blade was bared, blurring on a path directly towards the enemy's core, only to be intercepted by the strange constructs that had sprouted forth from the ground on either side of them.

"Shit." Snow's frayed coat appeared in her line of sight, his large form simultaneously taking the blow and slamming a fist home against the thick metal.

Whatever the Fal'cie was made of, apparently it wasn't nearly as fit for battle as it looked and she watched with surprise as the drill-like appendage crumbled where he had struck it.

His fist came away red with the force exerted, however she ignored his injuries in favour of sustaining the assault against the superior foe, sharp edge striking the spot he had hit before it could get away and causing the already brittle metals to collapse, falling to the ground.

Spinning on her heel before the broken pieces had even settled Lightning dashed towards the crystal, rearing back for a strike. Her planned blow was quickly interrupted as the gleam of a blade flashed out of the corner of her eye, lithe form pulling back just in time to avoid the punishing claws swinging where her head had once been.

She looked back to check on Snow and grimaced as she saw him wrestling with the strange claw-drills that composed the being's 'arms', almost distracted were it not for the claws trying for a second blow.

With a sigh she spun away from the surprisingly nimble claw, running to the left and lashing out at her new target.

"Thanks." He grunted, keeping a firm grip on the arm even as she sliced dangerously close to him.

A final downward slash and the Fal'cie's weapon crumbled, falling away in much the same fashion as the other had. "Don't thank me, just attack it." She huffed.

A short nod and the two ran straight for the crystal, lashing out with fist and blade alike.

After several short strikes probing for weakness Lightning affirmed that the Fal'cie's claw, for whatever reason, no longer seemed to move. "Hit it with everything you have!" She yelled, garnering her strength for an all out offensive.

Though he didn't respond verbally she could see his fists clench tighter, eyes narrowing as he began pummelling the crystal in earnest.

A small jolt of irritation sparked as she noticed he was doing more damage than her and, with a challenging burst of speed, she resolved to fix that.

It seemed like minutes passed, the both of them hacking and punching away at the Fal'cie's inert form, however she knew it could only be seconds and so she was startled as she heard the faint grind of metal start up behind her.

Quickly Lightning rolled away, coming up in a defensive stance as she watched the newly reformed claw make a second attempt at her life. "Snow, they can recover!"

Thankfully the tall blond seemed to have noticed himself and had immediately aborted his attack in favour of a quick leap back. "Right!" He acknowledged, dropping a parting gift as he leapt away.

The clink of a pin echoed through the room and her eyes widened as she witnessed the grenade roll off the suspended balcony they were stood upon, tumbling down below to become entangled in the wires and cables beneath the Fal'cie's makeshift body.

"Gotcha!" He crowed victoriously as the explosive erupted, sparks erupting and coiling energy winding up the cables and across the arms.

An inhuman roar came forth, echoing from both inside and around the crystal to hit them like a rain of bullets straight to the ears. "Ah!" Her hands automatically flew up, vainly attempting to protect them from the assault of noise.

Despite her pain she squinted at the crystal, noticing a strange pattern within and the errant static leaping from the arms, almost as if it was trying to channel the energy through them.

With a start she grabbed her gunblade, ignoring the pulsing pain and feeling of wetness running down the sides of her face. "It's weak! We have to hit it now!"

With a roar she charged, arms pumping as she forwent all grace and skill in favour of brute force.

The manipulators above arched and twisted, slamming down towards her with brutal power and sending her stumbling in an attempt to evade first left, then right.

Desperately she zigzagged, avoiding arcing electricity and metal facsimiles of fingers alike as she approached.

A loud clang and she spun, bringing her sword down to cleave into the crystal face with pinpoint precision, digging into the hard, jagged material with a visceral growl.

The manipulators behind her had halted in the air, held in place by Snow's muscular form as he pushed against them, wrestling them away with a roar. "Lightning, do it now!"

She barely heard him with the damage sustained to her ears, nonetheless drawing back for another strike that dug into the being beneath her.

The claws were trying to twist, jumping back into place every time she struck and Snow was all too aware that if the massive being regained its composure for even a single moment he might very well be doomed. Still, Serah's still form flashed through his head and he growled, gripping tighter and even managing to push the insanely strong claws back a few inches.

Steady, rampant shudders shook the vestige and though they both nearly stumbled they managed to hold themselves true to their respective tasks until, finally, everything seemed to come to a halt.

The manipulators fell first, leaving Snow to stumble, surprised at the sudden loss of pressure. He turned to look at both Lightning and the Fal'cie and his eyes widened as he noticed the lack of energy pulsing through it. "We- We did it?"

Ahead of him Lightning stared down at the dead being, as surprised as he was. "We did it..." She confirmed, stunned.

Another shudder suddenly rippled through the vestige and both of them stumbled slightly, eyes widening as the energy gathered suddenly seemed to not just return, but multiply, gathering throughout the chamber before, with a massive discharge, it blew them back.

The last thing they saw before everything went dark was the chamber becoming inert once more, the released energy ripping through the walls as though they weren't even there.

* * *

 _The sound of bells echoed through empty space, reverberating with a haunting undertone that sent chills up her spine._

 _Twisting and turning in mid-air, Lightning desperately searched for the source of the noise, inhaling sharply as she caught sight of the strange being._

 _Cold, empty eyes gazed down from a lofty visage, resplendent armour encompassing beyond her range of vision, coils of metal, liquid and empty space winding around it and her in turn, glowing with a gentle light._

 _Despite the creature's calm face, or maybe because of it, she desperately began to seek an escape, fear unlike any she had felt in a long time pulsing through her._

" _Serah!" Her voice bounced through the empty space, unstopped by air currents or obstacles. "Serah! A-Anyone!?"_

 _She felt a sense of self-recrimination shoot through her, coursing through her veins like acid and burning her from the inside out. "H-Help."_

 _Humiliation joined her shame, pounding in her chest and rendering her nearly insensate._

 _Thick, unsteady tendrils shot forth from the being, stabbing into her, deeper than any knife could. Her terrified gaze witnessed the glowing energy trails coursing behind the original tendrils and a single shining light, brighter than any she had seen before._

 _The pulsating light moved almost faster than she could follow, resting above her for barely a second before it descended, searing light branding her chest and leaving her in agony._

 _With a jolt and a scream of anguish she closed her eyes._

* * *

Lightning shot up from her place on the ground, breathing heavily.

A single hand came up to rest on her chest, feeling for something than couldn't be there; No pain or burning came forth and she breathed a sigh of relief, slowly rising to her feet.

In the distance the sound of shuffling, sporadic footsteps caught her attention and she turned, locking onto the originator of the noise with a scowl.

Thick, azure limbs dragged across the ground, slowly drawing closer to the crystal clearing she found herself in.

With a grimace she reached down to her side, fingers finding the comfortable grip of her Blazefire saber and lips twisting into a confident smirk.

Her confidence quickly plummeted as another cie'th came around the corner after it, followed by the shambling form of another.

A crunch resounded behind her and, with a sudden chill, she spun just in time to avoid being crushed by another cie'th's wild swings.

"Fuck." She cursed, warily eyeing the approaching enemies surrounding her and settling into a ready stance.

"Get away from her!" With a start she twisted on her heel, witnessing Snow come hurtling across the crystal surface to slam his fist home against the nearest monster.

With a small sigh of relief too quiet to be heard by her backup she met his back, keen eyes surveying the nearing enemies. "I don't like these odds." She admitted, watching more and more beasts crawl out of the nooks and crannies around them. "Wait for an opening, and then we run."

Despite her commands Snow simply grinned, pounding his fists together confidently. "We can take 'em."

With a jerk she felt him launch himself forward and, cursing, she spun to follow. "Damn it Snow!"

With her speed it wasn't hard to follow him, though the former soldier was startled to see him clothesline one of the nearby cie'th, knocking it off its feet and sending it flying off the makeshift pathway they stood upon.

She drew her saber back for a wide swing, stunned as she watched the blade carve through two cie'th like a scythe through wheat, utilizing her new found strength to swiftly decimate the encroaching enemy.

As she came to a halt she quickly turned, searching for any nearby opponents, only to realize that in mere seconds both she and Snow had managed to completely eliminate any opposition there may have been.

"The hell..." She murmured, brow furrowing before, with a sense of dawning dread, she grabbed at her collar, yanking it down to gaze at her left breast.

The L'cie brand shone menacingly in the light, holding her gaze for several seconds.

A short cough drew her back to reality and she looked up, finding that Snow had decided discretion was the better part of valour and had turned his eyes to the frozen wreckage surrounding them.

Any gratitude she may have felt for his heroics was vastly overshadowed by her dawning horror and with a pattern to look for she quickly spotted the L'cie brand on his forearm.

"No." She spoke, frozen in place with a numbness that had nothing to do with the cold. "Damn it!"

"What?" Snow looked over at her, following her gaze and turning his arm to spy the brand emblazoned across his forearm. "Oh." He voiced numbly.

Lightning shook for a moment, fists clenched so tightly that were it not for her gloves she suspected her nails would have drawn blood. With a scream of pure rage she turned, spinning on her heel to slam her fist into one of the curving crystal waves surrounding them.

Slowly lowering his arm, Snow absently punched at the air with a frown. "You too?" He queried, rubbing at his face with chagrin.

Without verbal response she grasped at her chest, unzipping her top just low enough for him to see the very tip of the marking.

A small blush crossed his cheeks, however he ignored it in favour of thinking on just what it meant. "So that's it, huh?" He mused aloud.

"That's it." She bitterly agreed, rubbing at the exposed skin before pulling the zip back up. "L'cie to the end."

"Yeah..." Slowly pacing across the uneven expanse below, Snow turned back to meet her gaze once more. "Do you... Have any clue what our focus is?"

"No." Her response was clipped, short and bitter as she folded her arms across her chest and started walking. "I don't have the faintest idea."

Moving to follow her, the newly made L'cie made their way further down the pathway, unsure of just where they were planning to go.

"We can't go anywhere." Lightning suddenly spoke, voice sharp. "We're L'cie now; no matter where we go we'll both be hunted."

He winced at the observation, nodding his agreement even as past claims of heroism swam to mind.

The pinkette looked around, taking in the black expanse above them, the blue-white waves stretching as far as she could see and the fissures of metal marring the landscape. "This is obviously Lake Bresha. The only way to go is-"

"Serah!" Taking a deep breath, she struggled against the urge to punch him as hard as she could and instead focused on continuing her steady march. "We need to find Serah!"

A keen sense of loss filled her as she thought of her sister's fate, her dead eyes gazing up at the sky from behind clasped hands, as though in prayer. "And then what!?" Bile burned her throat, his hopeful expression physically making her sick. "She-" Cutting herself off, Lightning hunched forward, watching her feet as she walked and trying not to think about Serah.

"We'll save Cocoon." Her gaze snapped up, tremors pulsing throughout her body as she listened to him wax poetic about the things they would do. "We'll save both Cocoon and Serah! That's our focus!"

""That's our focus"?" Her mind cleared, anger seemingly dissipating in the wake of his naiveté. "And what exactly do you base that on?"

"Serah." His face lit up, mind set on his path even as the seconds of his life ticked away, drained by the brand on his arm. "She told us to save Cocoon; that's got to be it!"

"You'll die." The words were spoken so calmly, with so little inflection, that Snow immediately paused, blinking in surprise as he turned to look at her. "You've got a bomb built into your arm Snow, when it goes off you'll kill yourself and everyone around you. That's all that wishful thinking will get you."

"It's not wishful thinking!" Quickly he strode forward, reaching out to grasp her shoulders. "She told us to save Cocoon, and then she turned to crystal. That's got to mean something."

Lightning was barely aware that she had struck until she blinked and realized that her fist was now throbbing, outstretched before her as she glared down at where she had knocked Snow to the floor. "Wake up!" Her hands itched for her saber, instead twitching and coming to rest at her sides as she looked away, staring the distance. "The only thing I saw of our focus was a towering..." She trailed off, open hand coming to rest above her brand.

"You saw it too?" Her back stiffened, all motion coming to a halt. "We both had the same dream, then, that destructive force-"

"Ragnarok." The name echoed with finality, spoken simultaneously by both her and Snow.

"There's your proof," He continued, choosing to ignore her disbelieving stare. "We have to stop it!"

His constant stream of hopeless optimism finally overtook her patience, lithe form moving through a familiar set of movements to grab at the hilt of her sword, spinning and leveling it at his throat. "Whose side are you on? That thing took Serah from us, and you want too-" Her breathing deepened and, shaking, she turned away.

Several clicks drew her attention and both she and Snow paused, looking over to see several rifles levied at them. "Freeze!"

With a sigh Lightning dropped her gun blade, slowly raising her arms over her head as beside her Snow did the same.

A solitary soldier stepped out of the group, overconfidence oozing from him. "Well, well. You fall off the purge train?"

"Maybe." Lightning's dry attitude wasn't appreciated, the commander leveling his rifle at her head at the first sign of rebellion.

"What'd you say? You back talking me!?" He snarled, jabbing the barrel of the gun against her chin.

Sensing the imminent aggression to follow Lightning frowned, lowering her head slightly to count the number of soldiers. "Nice gun."

The commander didn't have a chance to respond as she proceeded to strike, stunning him and throwing him, sheer strength and skill sending his disoriented form rag dolling into his own troops, swift movements thereafter making short work of the unexpecting, untrained soldiers.

For several seconds Snow watched, dumbfounded as she viscerally took them down, tempted to join the fray but quickly deciding against it as he caught the dangerous gleam in her malevolent gaze.

Her movements were sporadic yet sure, dashing between the combatants with the type of surety only a trained warrior could demonstrate.

Though no slouch himself Snow still found himself admiring her poise and power as she decimated them, absently beating down any that chose discretion as the better part of valour and decided to try for the less aggressive L'cie.

Quick punches put an end to any notion that he was an easy target and after what seemed like mere seconds the soldiers were all routed, bodies littering the ground.

With a growl Lightning marched, brushing past him without a word.

For several seconds Snow stared after her retreating form, flicking back to the downed soldiers and back again with a wince before finally, with a sigh, he made to follow.


	2. Divergent paths

**Chapter Two:**

* * *

Slow, steady footsteps echoed across the tundra, the area almost deserted save for the two figures making their way across.

Despite the rocky start to their unwitting venture they hadn't actually stumbled across too much opposition, the average opponent of the area being the occasional pack of Breshan Bass, an errant cie'th stumbling aimlessly and not much else.

In the distance he could see the remnants of the Pulse vestige and Snow sighed, gaze wandering across the barren landscape, searching for something, anything, interesting.

Ahead of him Lightning remained quiet, as she had been since their last encounter with the Sanctum's forces.

Despite the uncomfortable silence the blond tried to search for some topic to breach with her, pursing his lips as he followed her with his eyes. "So..."

Lightning slowed slightly, glancing back at him stoically.

Snow almost faltered under the weight of her stare. Almost. "I wonder how things are up top, I mean, with... The others."

His gait stuttered as dark thoughts circled in his head, his attempted conversation starter unwittingly garnering his own concerns and pushing them to the fore.

"...If they survived." A deep breath and he looked up into the darkness above, taking in the interspersed spots of light piercing through the veil.

Lightning came to a halt, surveying the crystallized landscape around them with a frown. "There's no way the _entire_ place came tumbling down and if the cie'th survived I'm sure your ragtag group of vigilantes did too; they're as annoyingly stubborn as you are." She stated dryly, hands on her hips.

A small grin came to his lips and his posture straightened, a burden he didn't know he had been carrying suddenly removed from his shoulders. "Yeah, you're probably right. No way NORA's gonna lose to some Pulse Fal'cie!" He crowed.

The pinkette paused, lips quirking into what could almost be seen as a smile for barely a second.

"Did I just see...?" Snow blinked, squinting at the petite woman. "I did! You smiled, I made you smile!"

With a groan Lightning continued on, leaping off of the crystal beneath to make her way up a jutting length of wreckage. "I should have let you die to the Fal'cie." She murmured dryly.

"Hey, I heard that!" Despite the mock outrage in his voice the grin stretched across his face was unmistakable; quickly following the ex-soldier up the makeshift platforms, albeit much less gracefully, Snow hurriedly fell into step beside her. "Y'know, I think this might work. Magic... Sure, it's cursed, but it makes us stronger, right? With this... We shouldn't have a problem with the Sanctum at least!"

Lightning paused, brow furrowed as she stopped in her tracks. "Cut the crap," As he came to a halt she turned to look him in the eye. "Back there? Those were the grunts of PSICOM. Their elites are on an entirely different level."

"You really think we'd have trouble with them?"

The confidence in his voice was overwhelming and she had to suppress the urge to punch him again. "No; I think if _they_ hit the field then it's game over."

Before her very eyes his entire posture seemed to change, shoulders squaring and his stare losing the arrogant glint it had previously held. For now at least he seemed to be taking things seriously, though just how long that would last remained to be seen.

Silently she observed him, lips tugging into a frown and a grunt escaping her as she made to continue on.

"Lightning," With a sigh she turned back to him, impatiently gesturing for him to go on. "Seeing as we're both stuck in this together I wanted to ask you something personal."

Tensing, she folded her arms over her chest, leaning her weight to one side in a pose he had seen a handful of times in the past.

Well aware that he was very close to the limits of her patience he quickly continued. "Why Bodhum?"

"What do you mean "Why Bodhum"?" A single fine eyebrow raised inquisitively, her closed off expression relaxing only the most minute of amounts yet all the same offering him some small measure of confidence.

"Well, Serah told me that you joined the Guardian corps because you had to provide for the both of you, but..." He brushed absently at the dusting of hair on his chin. "Bodhum's a festival town; seafront, local area, celebrations. Not exactly cheap, so why there?"

After several seconds the pinkette slowly relaxed, hands moving to her hips in a classic pose of defiance as she looked away. "After I joined the Guardian corps things weren't exactly easy. Money was tight, we were struggling..." Shifting again to rub at her forehead, Lightning grimaced. "I think some of the higher-ups must have had a soft spot for us; two orphans, one barely old enough to join the military, the other even younger? Yeah, we tugged at some heart strings alright."

"A pity transfer from the big city, huh?" He queried.

"More an offer. We could have stayed, but when I told Serah and I saw her eyes light up... I knew then and there we'd be going, no matter what." A brief chuckle and Snow blinked, genuinely surprised at the rather unusual show of emotion. "So we packed up and left; I got an assignment closer to home and the rest is history."

Snow nodded at the conclusion of her explanation, humming as he considered her words. "You never thought about going back to the city?"

"Mm." Lightning grit her teeth, seeming to remember suddenly just who she was talking to. "Once."

With a shove she brushed past him, allowing her final words on the matter to permeate. When they did he jolted, moving to follow her. "Just why do you hate me so much?"

His question seemed to stun her, more so than even his earlier line of inquiry, and Lightning ceased all movement, completely still. "You genuinely have to ask?" She murmured under her breathe, a dangerous connotation echoing within.

"Yeah. I do."

Shaking her head, Lightning marched on, ignoring his attempts to buffer her. "Because you're a liar."

Eyes widening, Snow increased his gait, matching her steps and walking past her in an attempt to intercept. "I always keep my word!"

"Then where's Serah, right now?" Gloved hands clenched at his sides, face wandering away from hers to scan the barren landscape.

"Snow," The words were soft yet rumbled dangerously, a slim digit digging into his chin and forcibly dragging his gaze back to meet hers, bright blue meeting aqua. "You're nothing but talk."

With that last parting shot she pushed him away, leaving him to stumble behind her as she walked.

* * *

' _You're nothing but talk.'_

The path forward constantly seemed to shift and change, an amalgamation of metal and crystal steadily allowing them to progress, however Snow barely grasped the strange path's fluctuations in tone, merely moving his body as was necessary to progress onward.

His mind, on the other hand, couldn't be further removed from the journey ahead, instead focusing on thoughts of the past.

Lightning's words reverberated through his head, shaking his resolve even as he trudged past rubble and destruction.

The metal littering the area kept drawing his vacant gaze, remnants of both the world above and the Sanctum's assault pervading his senses.

A section of what looked to be a train car jutted out from the shimmering waves below and he slowed, a mother's last words echoing in his head; he'd failed that woman before he had even begun to try, the assault and chaos preventing him from fulfilling her last request.

Now he couldn't even save Serah. The Fal'cie had taken her from him and he was being forced to bear this burden, marked for the remainder of his life and unable to help her.

A sudden halt and he looked up, spying Lightning's open visage and following her gaze.

A small form lay there, encased in her eternal shell and surrounded by jagged shards erupting from the ground. "S-Serah!"

Unheeding of her reaction he dashed past Lightning, reaching out to lay a hand on Serah's cold cheek. Stunned, he scanned her immobile form, drinking in her features and drowning in the sensations racing through his body. " _Serah,_ I'll get you out of there." He breathed.

His wild gaze shot across the area, locking onto a particularly sharp piece of wreckage and making haste to grab it.

Harsh, strong hits shook hints of crystal loose, slowly digging through at the cost of time. It seemed like an eternity before the faint sound of footsteps managed to creep into his ear, jolting from his crouching position. "Lightning...?"

He spun on his heel, following the pinkette with a look of shock. "Y-You're just gonna leave her?"

Lightning didn't look back, shoulders tense. "They'll be here soon," Her voice was firm as she stood there. "If they find us, we'll both be dead."

Snow stumbled, betrayal written across his features. "If I leave her, then I'll never be able to fulfill my promises. To either of you." Despite her stoic silence he could see that she was at least listening to him and desperately he tried to reassure her. "I can handle anything they throw at us."

"You promised to protect her." Standing in the middle of the expanse of crystal, staring at her sister's peaceful visage, Lightning suddenly found that she had never hated Snow Villiers quite so much as she did then. "Does she look protected to you?" Despite the heated words she felt more drained than anything, uncertainty weighing upon her.

"I can save her!" He insisted, meeting her gaze hopefully.

Rage flared, just as suddenly becoming overtaken by disgust and sadness alike as she realized that he genuinely seemed to think he could fix things. "What can you possibly do?"

Striding towards her, she found herself taken aback as he dropped to his knees before her, firmly staring her in the face as he did so. "Whatever it takes."

"I-" For a moment the former soldier found that she desperately wanted to believe him, wanted to try and understand just what it was that her sister saw in him.

The moment soon passed and she stared down at him, the firm realization setting in that even though he wanted the world to be black and white things just weren't that simple.

"If you stay here..." It surprisingly stung to word her thoughts and bitterly she regretted that she had allowed him to get even this close to her. "You'll die. To PSICOM, the roaming monsters, lack of food, lack of sleep... Lack of time." Wistfully she took in the branding on his forearm and turned away.

"I..." Snow watched her slowly walk away, unsure what else to say.

Overhead a grinding tone sounded, echoing throughout the area and distracting the L'cie from their current issues.

Lightning looked up, blinded by a spotlight flaring above and shining into her eyes. Despite her momentary blindness she still had enough composure to move, jumping away from the incoming noise and receiving a glancing blow to the torso in turn.

Watching as the lithe warrior was sent careening off to the side Snow grit his teeth, a haze of anger overcoming his ingrained instincts. "Lightning!"

With a ferocious roar he charged to meet the massive metal machine twisting overhead, strongly resembling some form of snake as it menacingly sparked, 'face' turning to follow his movement.

The warmech's programming didn't save it from his wrath and as he leapt towards it he managed to strike its head with a fierce hammer blow, sending the opposition careening backwards.

Landing in a crouch, he quickly regarded the trajectory of Lightning's fall and felt a surge of relief as he spotted her getting to her feet, expression truly projecting her namesake.

The storm clouds brewing within that gaze made him shiver slightly and not for the first time Snow thanked whatever was listening that she was on his side. "Lightning, you okay?"

A short, jerky nod and the blade of her weapon flicking free of it's sheathe answered his question and the L'cie grinned, glad to have an outlet for the pent-up frustration recently developed, cracking his knuckles and loosening his muscles in anticipation.

The mech jerked and shuddered overhead, the motions drawing attention to the marks littering its frame. The machine was clearly aged, a fact that worked to their advantage as it seemed unable to take off again.

Sanctum warmechs weren't just dangerous because of their flight capabilities however; a facet it quickly demonstrated, lunging forward and sending them sliding away from it.

Snow grimaced as he shielded against the dust sent forth with its strike, squinting against the obstruction and making out Lightning's form as she dashed towards it.

Sparks flew as the gunblade jumped against its metal skin, failing to properly penetrate but leaving thin scars down its body to join the others.

A keening sound seemed to bounce through its body as she jumped away and as Lightning landed in a crouch the machine's head opened up, energy gathering to the fore and directed right at them.

Taking that as his cue Snow dashed forward, gloved hands slamming into the unprotected eye once, twice, three times before it reared back out of his reach, firing the concentrated laser directly towards them.

While he wasn't caught directly in the center of the beam Snow was still amazed that he managed to survive the high-energy blow with as little damage as he did, arms shredded by the power but otherwise undamaged.

"Snow!" Turning, he met Lightning's gaze and automatically reached out to catch her thrown offering, nodding in thanks as he uncapped the potion and downed the concoction.

As much as he wanted to take the time to recover fully he could clearly see the warmech charging up for another blast and so quickly he rocketed forward, catching up to the pinkette in no time and going in for another set of punches.

The blows pounded against its metal exterior, each hit jerking the mech violently before, with a final swing, the enemy was sent sliding on its side across the ground.

The machine's eyes flickered, jagged cracks alighting with sparks and illuminating the dark sockets almost malevolently.

The tail of the warmech swiped through the air, arcs of power refracted through the base as it slowly shifted, turning from him without reason to focus on Lightning.

Jagged beams blazed forth, striking faster than he could blink and cracking through the space between them, filling the air with the scent of ozone and burning meat.

Flesh was sheared from her side as the triangular lasers completely ignored her guard, piercing her torso and scorching her rib cage.

Snow turned, eyes wide as she fell to the floor screaming. Lightning's pain tolerance was no joke, however the sheer scale of damage marring her flesh was beyond most things he had ever even seen.

With a sharp motion he dashed towards her, barely sliding under the tail as it came around for another blow and lifting off with the stubborn woman in his arms.

Quickly he leapt away from the enemy, hiding behind one of the surrounding crystal slabs and rummaging through his coat.

When he finally found the potion he had stored earlier he wasted no time, bringing it to her lips and forcing it down her throat. "Come on, come on..."

Her breathe was shallow, quickly levelling out as the viscous liquid poured down her throat.

"Yes!" Ecstatic, he watched as she swallowed the healing agent, black flakes falling away to reveal fresh, clear skin, undamaged by the machines earlier attack.

When the healing finally finished Lightning opened her eyes, hazy aqua orbs slowly roaming over his features as he held her.

For an indeterminable amount of time she lay there, comfortably resting against him as the potion's restorative effects dissipated. Absently she mused on just how _big_ his hands were, arms encompassing her waist and shoulders and firmly preventing her from falling.

Above them their makeshift shelter shook, spots of light bouncing across the surface and swiftly reminding her of their predicament.

With a grunt she pushed him back, kneeling against the crystal and glancing out at the warmech.

The machine was clearly on its last legs, sparks erupting along its exposed coils and several front lenses shattered; on the underside she could see thick, jagged chunks missing from her earlier swipes and her gaze slid over to regard the severe dents littering its head.

With a gesture she beckoned Snow over, cycling through several battle plans in her mind as she did so.

Carefully he knelt beside her, hovering over her shoulder to peek out of the same gap that she had and watch the warmech. "You got a plan? 'Cause if so I'm all ears."

"Don't you always say 'Heroes don't need plans'?" She shot back.

Blue eyes glimmered with mischief as he looked down to meet her stare. "Careful. You keep quoting me like that and I might actually think you listen to me!"

Lightning paused, rubbing at her forehead with a small smirk. "That'll be the day."

Snow grinned, shooting her a wink and just as suddenly becoming serious. "So?"

Leaning back against his chest and tensing, she pointed out something peculiar she had noted during her brief scan. "See that gouge on the neck? Just below the upper carapace?"

With a glance at the spot below its white head he could see the small glow of circuitry shining through a gash on its neck. "Yeah, I see it."

"Go for broke."

A thick hand rested on her shoulder, quickly withdrawing as she growled in warning. "Well then, let's get to it!"

She dryly noted that her warnings no longer seemed to faze him and, with a sigh, rose to her feet. "Right."

As he sauntered forward, slamming his fists together and dashing out of their cover, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye and turned to defend. "Look out!"

Her warning came too late and above them the tail of the warmech slapped down, jolting her guard and knocking her back into Snow.

The two stumbled as the tail tore across the ground, sending their temporary cover tumbling after them.

Lightning flinched, desperately drawing her blade before her and trying to block the massive projectile despite already knowing the futility of the action.

Gray and white filled her vision as, broad shoulders tensed, Snow prepared to take the blow.

"Snow!" Her heart leapt into her throat as the crystal struck, somehow deflected by his powerful stance and sent careening away.

Around them several more slabs of crystal struck the ground sending jagged chunks flying through the air, cutting into her legs and his back.

Snow grit his teeth, collapsing to one knee yet maintaining his posture, shoulders tense.

A hasty leap and dive took them both underneath the tail, just out of its line of sight and, with a yell, Lightning flung her gunblade straight at the head of the mech, raw power coalescing around her head and filling the blade with magic.

The blade rocketed straight at it, its trajectory fueled by the piercing power of thunder.

Her saber seemed to glow with crimson light as it seared through the top of the machine's head, slicing across its face and finding the hole in the base of its neck.

The warmech didn't explode or anything so dramatic, merely collapsing to the floor with a juddering build-up, as though clinging to life; she didn't notice this, however, instead focusing on staunching his bloodied wounds with her hands. "Snow! Stay with me, come on!"

Broken coughs answered her, heavy breathing filling the air as his body desperately tried to mend the injuries littering his body; a streak of blood ran down her thigh and she gasped, lost as she held him in her iron grip.

Her jaw was tight as her eyes wandered over his exposed chest, analyzing his wounds and condition with the proficiency of a soldier even as her body shook.

A familiar chill filled her breast, running through her veins as she patted herself down, searching for supplies.

No healing agents availed themselves from her search, however a brief pat down managed to garner several bottles from Snow's coat, nimble hands gratefully bringing them to hand and trying to apply them.

Crystal shards stuck through the front of his chest and upper stomach, piercing his shoulders along with his throat. With a grimace Lightning spread the gel-like liquid substance along his body, careful not to aggravate his wounds any further.

His skin seemed to brighten for a second before blood erupted from his injuries; freezing, she watched the red fluid trail lazily down his front, pooling around her legs. "No..."

Her gaze roamed across his face, taking in his strong, youthful features. "No! Don't you dare do this to me! Damn it, Snow!"

Her expression twisted into a snarl, hand rearing back as though to strike and for several seconds she stayed that way, simply watching his face, calm and still without consciousness.

Gently she lowered her fist, bringing it to his chest and feeling his slow heartbeat. "Please..."

Intense light flared beneath her fingertips and she stilled, stunned as she watched the green flare across his chest.

Embedded crystals steadily slid from his body, skin smoothly knitting together in their wake; the obstructions to his healing gruesomely cut through distended tissue, calming the inflamed flesh and removing debris.

Lightning stood, a strange emotion lurking behind her eyes as she scanned his form, breathing evening out to a more normal pace.

A shaky sigh and she bent forward, falling to one knee and running a hand over his features. "Keep her safe."

With a swift step she turned to walk away, intently keeping her eyes on the large path sloping down that she had chosen.

As she walked she shakily lifted a hand to her waist, fingers running over the phantom sensation of warm hands, breathe stuttering in confusion before, with a sigh, she left both Snow and Serah in the clearing, shielded by the stalagmites that had become her prison.


End file.
